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Chicago P.D. 3×15 “A Night Owl” Recap

Spoilers Ahead

Love makes us do crazy things.

Case Summary: When Burgess’ instincts tell her to dig further into a professor’s car during a checkpoint, Intelligence discovers 10 kilos of heroin in his trunk. A little boy’s brutally murdered by a gang linked to an inmate the professor was in love with. And when the Intelligence unit finds letters addressed to multiple inmates they also come to learn that despite being married with a child, the professor was secretly in a relationship with an inmate, and the reason he was smuggling the drugs was in order to cover a debt for Peter. After his daughter’s taken captive and the unit learns Peter’s feelings weren’t reciprocated, the professor tells the unit about Peter’s brother and when he’s used as a bargain, Peter tells the unit where the professor’s daughter is held. Burgess and Lindsay partner up in this week’s investigations. Platt and Roman go off on a training course. And Jay gets side job at a medical marijuana organization.

Review | Analysis: Tonight’s episode was surprisingly enjoyable, and it may be due to the fact that I’ve been desperately wanting to see further development with Lindsay and Burgess’ friendship. And additionally because the case took an unexpected turn, it actually managed to make it intriguing. I for one thought he was completely innocent the entire time, but the fact that the professor knew what he was doing and it was an act of love was interestingly shocking. Well played, Chicago PD. Well played. However, what’s not fun, and I’m not going to go into detail about it because it’ll only turn into an angry rant is the constant misrepresentation of Armenians on TV series. Every culture undoubtedly has its bad, but it also has its good; however, the fact that series make more of an effort to merely show the bad is incredibly disheartening.

Roman and Platt served as comedic relief this week, but the best part is that their experiences reiterated the theme of carefulness. And that comes into play for the entire episode as well because it essentially feels as though during the last few episodes, we aren’t paying close attention to what’s actually under our noses. And by we, I mean the characters.

One of the things that makes Erin Lindsay’s character so special is her appreciation and understanding of women. Today, there’s thankfully a lot more female characters like this, and I can’t help but wonder if High School would’ve been a better place if we had such icons back then. The way she fervently believes in people is remarkable, but beyond that it is the fact that she sees and understands people without even knowing them too well. Sure, Burgess has been in the unit for a long time, but the fact that she and Erin haven’t hung out as often isn’t something that can be ignored. But it’s that very detail which makes Lindsay’s character so admirable, because despite not being as close to her as she was to Nadia for example, it doesn’t change the fact that she pays enough attention to know that Burgess rarely gets the credit she deserves. Telling Hank that everyone deserves a second chance was lovely and undoubtedly one of my favorite elements within this series. Second chances are hugely important for they’re often what reveal that these characters are so well developed. And well developed means they’re real. They’re human. I was frustrated with Erin last week for going after Yates without backup, but the reality is though she’s made a promise to Jay, in that moment you understood why she did it. And it’s moments like this where despite the fact that they’re frustrating, these characters need them in order to grow. As human beings, we constantly make mistakes, and if we don’t have people forgiving us, it’s a lot more difficult to learn. We need to be given the opportunity to continuously grow. Thus, the idea of second chances being granted was a perfect addition into this episode.

Additionally, I loved how easy it was for the women to get along and work together — there was no unnecessary pettiness or superiority running through either of them, but rather two equals despite the obvious difference in their positions. Burgess felt like a member of Intelligence and it felt completely organic for her to be there. Agent Carter has done a wonderful job of showcasing the importance of a woman trusting her instincts, so I’m incredibly thrilled to see Chicago P.D. doing it as well. And it’s even more amazing for another woman to be the one to praise another’s strengths. Case stuff aside, while it was hysterical, it was interesting of Erin to buy Kim the new toothbrush. I didn’t expect that especially since she flat out said buy a new one instead of going back to Adam’s place for it. However, her gesture is a kindhearted little way to say ‘we’re friends and I’ve got your back’. Now that we’ve established these two have found a common language and get along with one another beautifully, can we have more scenes with them? Please and thank you.

Now that I’ve covered my favorite parts of the episode, I need to make it clear that it’s still upsetting Adam and Kim haven’t spoken. It’s ridiculously childish on both parties and frankly makes them look incredibly out of character. You don’t just break off an engagement without a proper conversation about it. Again, this wasn’t a two week relationship, it was an engagement. A conversation is required.

Lastly, Jay’s new job. It doesn’t feel organic. Not even a little. And if I didn’t know spoilers about the love interest they’re trying to set up with his new boss, I’d be so ridiculously confused with the fact that he’s even interested in something like this. I understand the need for extra cash, but the timing and lack of detail is a bit strange. Deep sigh. You can try all you want, pretty girl, but Jay Halstead’s most admirable trait is his steadfast loyalty. On happier note, Erin Lindsay admitting to loving Jay Halstead was adorable, and it’s little moments like this that do a marvelous job of reminding viewers just how far these two have come. They may not have said it to one another, but it’s there. The deep adoration that runs in both their veins has the power to make them do crazy things. If Jay’s life hadn’t been on the line back in 3×01, Erin wouldn’t have been back in Intelligence today. He’s the only person she would fight through hell and high water for thereby, hearing her admit this moments before she eagerly answered his phone call was undeniably sweet. But ultimately, in the coming weeks if we don’t get more information on Jay’s past (he’s now working with a Marine), I’m going to be incredibly disappointed. All I want this series to do is to follow the rules of Chekov’s Gun and while I can look at the human side of it, as a writer it drives me bonkers. We have very little information on one of the core characters and that’s not okay. Please for the love God, just a little something would do — anything about how the darkest time featured _______. Seriously, I’m not picky. A little something would suffice.

Worth Mentioning: I love that Alvin’s often the one comforting those whose family members have been murdered. He’s got such a serene presence about him where it feels safe enough to be emotionally carried by him.